Links About Open Access

FAQ on Open Access that explains a few of the ins and outs of open access and the options available to authors who would like to make their work openly available. We’ll continue to update the FAQ as time goes on,.

Website with resources for celebrating Open Access week every October.

What is Open Access?

Open Access:

is information that is:

Free to read

Unrestricted

Online

is a movement that wants to increase information access and innovation.

usually refers to open access publishing, particularly of scholarly communication in academia.

may be an answer to the serials / scholarly communication crisis, which refers to the system where information is locked up in subscription journals and databases whose prices keep rising (as library and university budgets stagnate or decrease) and universities and libraries are forced to pay for the creation of the research as well as to buy it back through subscriptions.

is about the democratization of information and knowledge.

is carried out largely through open access journals, subject specific and institutional repositories, where research is posted online for anyone to access. These are indexed by Google and other search engines increasing visibility and impact of the research.

White House Open Access Memorandum

The Memorandum, officially issued by the Director of the Executive Office of Science and Technology, requires that every Federal Agency with R&D expenditures of over $100 million develop a plan to support increased public access to federally funded research. These plans, to be submitted to the White House within six months, are to include not only long-term preservation measures, but also mechanisms to ensure interoperability and improved access to and dissemination of federally funded research. While recognizing the services provided by publishers, the President’s plan also suggests a maximum 12-month embargo period for articles in scholarly publications.